Arai Report - Rd.10 Hungarian Grand Prix
Hungarian Grand Prix - Arai Report
28.07.2009
Thank you for your support over the weekend. The 2009 F1 season is already at the 10th race of the year, and we are heading in to the back stretch. The first race of the second half of the season is the Hungarian Grand Prix, held in the beautiful city of Budapest, which is known as the “Paris of Eastern Europe.” Without further ado, here is my report from the mid-summer grand prix, held at the Hungaroring in the suburbs of Budapest.
A bold aero update to match a low-speed circuit
Two weeks ago at the Nurburgring, we came away disappointed that we weren’t able to demonstrate the true potential of the car over the three-day race weekend. After the race, we came back to the factory and pored over our data. Our conclusion was that the results did not reflect the potential of our car. Neither did they reflect our potential as a team. The changing weather conditions in Germany hampered our qualifying, which in turn had a major impact on our race. The weather reports indicated that we would see favorable conditions for the entire weekend of the Hungarian GP, so we came to the circuit determined to be at our best.
We made some improvements to the car that we expected to help us show our true power. The Hungaroring is a low-speed circuit requiring more downforce on the car. Accordingly, we made changes to both the front and rear wings. The unique modifications we made were probably even noticeable on the TV images.
This race wasn’t just the first race of the second half of the season—it was also an important race taking place immediately prior to the summer break. We came to Hungary with every intent to capture a podium finish.
Checking new rear wing and super-soft tire compatibilities; high expectations for qualifying
Normally, the tire supplier brings two sets of tires separated by at least two orders of softness. In Hungary, the specifications for the two compounds were contiguous—super-soft and soft. With the circuit so hard on tires, the on-course data generated by Timo during practice turned out to be invaluable.
Last year at the Hungaroring, Timo captured a P2 podium finish. On Friday, he picked up where he left off, putting in some terrific long runs during practice. In particular, the super-soft tire compound (the softer of the two compounds) showed more stability and time gains during long runs than we expected, giving us some valuable information going into the race. Our new rear wing featured two winglets, which we also believe played a role in this stability. Timo reacted positively to the change, reporting back that the rear wing demonstrated more stability than ever.
On the other hand, Jarno’s car experienced trouble during both the morning and afternoon sessions on Friday—something that we should not have happened. Both issues were relatively minor ones related to the car’s sensors; the chassis was absolutely fine. But this year, with all of the teams racing so competitively, even small issues can have a major impact on position. Even small problems have to be treated with great care. Having said that, the car was performing rather well, and we approached Saturday looking to qualify in a position that would get us to a podium finish at the end of the race.
Setup is spot-on, but traffic spoils qualifying
Both cars made their qualifying attack laps on the super-soft tire compound. However, technical issues during morning practice and the inability to time a traffic-free qualifying lap kept both cars from advancing to Q3.
Our Saturday qualifying result was completely unexpected. Honestly speaking, we were all very disappointed. We also felt very bad for all of the fans who have been cheering on Panasonic Toyota Racing.
Jarno was caught behind traffic during his first attack lap in Q2, so we had him come into the pits without recording a serious first attack effort. We gambled everything on Jarno’s second attack lap. Worrying about traffic for his second and final attack, we loaded his car with enough fuel for three continuous hot laps, and sent him back out on the course. Jarno scored a 1:21.082 on his first hot lap, but the time wouldn’t come down on subsequent laps. Normally, the car gains speed as the fuel is burned off. All conditions being equal, Jarno would have easily driven the car to a lap time in 1:20’s and a Q3 appearance.
Timo was caught in traffic during the critical second attack in Q2. Timo stated that he would have been at least a half-second quicker without traffic interference, which would have comfortably placed him in Q3 as well. Having said that, every driver has to contend with changing track conditions, making their attack runs while calculating the risks involved in running into traffic. In that sense, we can't make any excuses.The results were all the more disappointing since we had the setup for the cars dialed in properly.
Utilizing on-track data and a long-stint strategy for a double-points finish
Starting both cars on the super-soft tire turned out to be the right strategy, as both drivers moved steadily up in position. The double-points finish (the sixth for the team) was the result of a longer first stint strategy, error-free driving, and splendid work in the pits.
Considering our results from Saturday qualifying, I think our race results on Sunday were nothing short of wonderful. Still, in the F1 of today, qualifying is an integral part of the race. The accepted wisdom is that 30 percent of the race result is determined by starting position on the grid. The Hungaroring, often called “Monaco without the guard rails,” is a course that presents very few chances for overtaking. Here—more than perhaps anywhere else—qualifying is direly important. Not having turned in a very strong qualifying performance, we will need to take serious stock of this part of our weekend performance.
On the other hand, we had enough pace during the race on Sunday to have finished much higher if our qualifying result had been up to par, making the result all the more difficult to swallow. We stretched out the interval for Jarno and Timo’s first pit stop to laps 28 and 32, respectively. Both cars showed good pace, moving up in position throughout the race. The long-run data we captured from Timo on Friday led us to the correct decision to start both cars on the super-soft compound at the beginning of the race.
Having Timo come in for his first pit stop on lap 32 allowed us the option of changing to a one-stop strategy. But looking at the pace of the cars that had been on the soft tire (the harder of the two compounds), we decided that using this compound during the middle stint of the race would be too early. Accordingly, we kept with a two-stop strategy. I believe the decision itself was the correct one.
The Hungarian GP marked our first double-points finish since the Turkish Grand Prix back in early June. Of course, the result wasn’t 100% satisfactory, but I believe it will generate momentum for the team to move back up to the top during the second half of the season. The next grand prix is the European Grand Prix, scheduled after a four-week summer break. We ask for your continued support as we work harder than ever to fight for a position at the top.
Noritoshi Arai at the Hungaroring. Not being able to link a strong Friday performance to a satisfactory qualifying result was disappointing, but the team did see their first double-points finish since the Turkish Grand Prix. After a four-week summer break, Panasonic Toyota Racing will be looking for a top finish at the European Grand Prix!
